One of the games within today's Palestra battle between No. 2 St. Joseph's and Temple will feature the dueling shooting
guards, Delonte West of St. Joseph's and Temple's David Hawkins. There can't be a better matchup at that position today in
the country - or a more familiar one.
In the summer, when they're home in the Washington, D.C., area, those two Big Five stars often end up alone on a playground
court, going one-on-one.
"It always starts out just checking the ball, taking long-distance shots," West said yesterday. "I guess as the game wears
on, maybe the second or third game, it gets to more physical play, and really wanting to win. We're two competitive guys.
You can picture that in your mind."
Picture the verbal jabs, too. "Last year, I really got you at the Palestra," West said he told Hawkins.
"We love to compete," Hawkins said.
With Temple in its shifting zones and the Hawks employing their switching man-to-man, the two won't always be near each
other today. But it will happen enough.
Right now, Hawkins is third in the nation in scoring at 24.4 points per game. But West, averaging 18.9 points per game,
has more recent bragging rights, and not just because the Hawks are the toast of the nation, or because they scalded Temple
last month at the Liacouras Center.
Last season, West lit up the Owls for a career-high 32 points at the Palestra, after scoring 26 at Temple. Hawkins was
held down twice, scoring 14 and a season-low seven.
The year before, West was a single-digit scorer off the Hawks' bench when Temple won twice, with Hawkins averaging 19 in
the two games.
The pair knew of each other in their high school days but became friends when West, now a junior, joined the Temple senior
in Philadelphia.
"He kind of showed me the ropes around Philly," West said. "And back home, we hang out. We're best of friends... . We kind
of run in the same circle of friends."
"We'd see each other probably once a day, even if we're not playing basketball," Hawkins said.
They'll end up playing at all hours at a 24-hour Run N' Shoot in District Heights, Md., usually on the same team, in addition
to various outdoor stops or in Washington summer leagues.
"We might have put on some highlight reels for the fans," West said.
Hawkins always offers high praise for this year's Hawks, calling point guard Jameer Nelson maybe the best collegiate player
he's faced, up there with former Duke point guard Jay Williams. Hawkins also called West better than Scottie Pippen to Nelson's
Michael Jordan.
But Hawkins also talked the other night after Temple beat Duquesne about how he's seen other highly ranked teams. He played
Duke three times in his first two years, when the Blue Devils were No. 1 every time. He was on the court in the 2001 Elite
Eight game when Temple lost to No. 3 Michigan State.
Thinking back to the last time the two teams faced each other, Hawkins said about his team: "The whole aura is different.
Coach says winning is an attitude. I think we have that now."
Last month, Hawkins had 36 points against St. Joe's, but they didn't mean much to him after the Hawks went up by 29 points
in the first half. West had 21 points, and hit a flurry of threes during the run that broke open the game. That day, St. Joe's
had hit a conference-record 20 three-pointers before cruising to an 83-71 victory.
Everybody, including his own players, expects Owls coach John Chaney to make defensive adjustments today. One question
is whether it will matter against the Hawks' array of shooters. The stakes today are enormous. The 23-0 Hawks try to continue
their run and finish the City Series unblemished. For 12-10 Temple, a victory would suddenly make an NCAA at-large bid more
than a pipe dream.
The players stick to the task at hand.
West said of guarding Hawkins: "He's like a bull on the court with his size. He's a big guard."
They both said their friendship hits the back burner during the season.
"We're pretty close," Hawkins said. "We talk here and there - not really much now because we try to do our thing. But I
mean it's all love between us."
"Plus, we're cross-city rivals," West said. "So it's hard in-season to go down there to Temple, or if he comes up here,
everybody would say, 'Hey, you're not supposed to be here.' "
for more news on delonte..........
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/8005049.htm?1c
Kyle Korver: (3:59 PM ET ) I am here and ready to go! 